2017 Award Winners

Free Prevenar 13 Vaccination

From 1 October 2011, Australian children who are 12-35 months old, may receive a single supplementary dose of an updated vaccine against pneumococcal disease. This vaccine will be provided FREE through a Government-funded program and is available for 1 year only (1 October 2011-30 September 2012).

Your child is eligible for the FREE supplementary dose if:

• they have completed their primary vaccination course against pneumococcal disease with the previous pneumococcal vaccine (Prevenar)

• they have not already received the new vaccine, or an alternative

• they are 12-35 months old

WHY SHOULD YOU VACCINATE YOUR CHILD AGAINST PNEUMOCOCCAL DISEASE AGAIN?

As your child has been fully vaccinated against pneumococcal disease as a baby, you've already helped protect them against several important pneumococcal strains. However, a number of common strains of pneumococcal bacteria that were not previously covered by childhood vaccination continue to cause serious disease in children and babies.

The vaccine recommended for your child builds upon on a vaccine that was routinely used in Australian babies up to 2011. It uses the same established technology as the original vaccine, but provides coverage against six additional strains that cause serious disease today.